The city of Avezzano, in Abruzzo (Italy), is ready to host one of the most important events on the international calendar on 21 September: the UEC Gravel European Championships and the UEC Gravel European Challenge (19-34).
Both events will serve as qualifiers for the 2025 UCI Gravel World Championships, which will take place in South Limburg, Province of Limburg (Netherlands), on 11 and 12 October 2025.
During the continental event, in which 338 riders from 23 countries are registered, 17 European titles will be awarded: 2 in the Elite categories (Men and Women) and 15 in the Masters categories.
Some of the most prestigious names on the international scene are expected to be at the start. In the Men's race, Britain's Connor Swift, national Road champion in 2018 and more recently winner of the British Gravel title, is capable of combining experience of the major events on the WorldTour calendar (last July, he took part in the Tour de France and finished it) with a strong aptitude for endurance racing. Belgian Lawrence Naesen, a strong rider accustomed to racing the most difficult Classics, is eagerly awaited, along with German Sascha Weber, multiple national Cyclo-Cross champion and now also well-known on the Cross-Country circuit.
High-calibre athletes will come from Austria, such as Daniel Geismayr, Alban Lakata, a legend in the discipline with three world Marathon titles, and Daniel Federspiel, twice world champion in Cross-Country Eliminator and who has already made his mark in Gravel races. There will also be Dutchman Johnny Hoogerland, former national Road champion and already winner of important Gravel competitions, as well as a large Italian team with Mattia De Marchi, winner of the 2022 Gravel Earth Series and now an absolute benchmark for the movement, Mattia Gaffuri, a young emerging talent, and local athlete Lorenzo Masciarelli, a rising star and heir to a family that has written important pages in cycling history.
In the Women's event, the field will be equally talented: Sweden's Hanna Nilsson, a leading athlete in the discipline who has also competed in the most important stage races, will take on Britain's Sophie Wright, former European Junior Time-Trial champion, and Germany's Romy Kasper, a constant presence in international events. Italy will be represented by a group of top athletes: Rachele Barbieri, world Track champion (Scratch, 2017) and European gold medallist in the Madison 2022, Giada Specia, a promising young Off-Road rider, Erika Magnaldi, winner of the 2018 Giro dell'Emilia Women and a talented climber, and Sofia Bertizzolo, 2018 Under-23 Road European Champion and a consistently strong performer on the WorldTour.
Enrico Della Casa, President of the Union Européenne de Cyclisme: "The Gravel European Championships and the UEC Gravel European Challenge will be a major event in one of the most beautiful places in Italy. It will be an opportunity to combine sport and tourism, while showcasing a rapidly growing discipline.
My thanks go to the local organisers Team Go Fast, the Abruzzo Region and Councillor Mario Quaglieri, who have strongly believed in this event and are already working towards the 2029 Road European Championships, the Italian Cycling Federation and its President Cordiano Dagnoni, and the city of Avezzano for preparing this event with such a warm welcome and enthusiasm”.
